The Spiritual Meaning of Vaginal Infections

Vaginal maladies like yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, and recurring bladder infections are super common and definitely annoying. Especially when they are recurring, they might also be trying to tell us something. Of course, it’s vital to get regular STI screenings, to practice safe sex and healthy genital hygiene, and to follow your doctor’s advice when something is going wrong down there. But is there a spiritual meaning of vaginal infections?

*Please note that sexual trauma often plays a role in vaginal issues, so read on with care, be gentle with yourself, and skip this article if you’re not in a place to think about that right now. Call RAINN’s sexual assault hotline at 800-656-4673 if you need to talk to someone.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Vagina & Relationships

While there are plenty of important functions in and around the vagina, it is first and foremost a sexual organ. It is the part of the body that might be penetrated within a sexual relationship.

Metaphorically, that is incredibly powerful and also incredibly vulnerable; this is the place where someone or something could enter the body. When such action is consensual and pleasurable, it can be a wonderful experience. But what about when it’s not?

[Read: “Recovering Your Sexuality After Trauma.”]

In the event of non-consensual penetration of any kind, the vagina might be expressing its displeasure by being “out of balance.” Sometimes the issue is about a spiritual or energetic penetration: someone pressing toxic energy into you or making you do things you don’t want to do (whether sexually or not).

Questions for reflection:

• Does my vagina experience pleasure? Does it say yes to intimacy?
• Is my spirit in or out of balance lately? Do I feel connected to myself and what I want?
• What is my relationship with my sexuality like right now? Do I experience pleasure when I want to (with or without another)?
• Has something happened to my vagina that isn’t okay with me?
• Do I feel in control in my life in general? Do my yes and my no matter?

Sometimes even without any direct trauma to this area, the vagina simply has an opinion about the relationship we are in. Energetically, our vaginas are directly connected to our hearts. Your vagina might be trying to communicate that your heart is out of balance. Consider these questions:

• Do I feel safe in my relationship?
• Do I feel present and connected?
• Is my heart present in my relationship?
• Is my heart held and supported?
• Is my heart nourished in my relationship? Is it given what it needs to grow?

When the Vagina Speaks (Because You Can’t)

The vagina has an intimate connection with the throat. The tissues inside the throat and inside the vagina are actually the same type of body tissue. When the jaw is tight, the pelvic floor is generally also tight, and vice-versa. Sometimes, when we can’t speak or don’t feel safe to say what we want to say, the energy of those unspoken words get shunted down to the vagina.

Here we can ask a few questions:

• Is there something I want to say that I’m not?
• Do I feel heard when I do speak up?
• Is there something I’ve been holding back?
• If there are some unspoken words here, what do they mean?
• What do they need from me?

If you can, find a way to express those unsaid words. Speak to a trusted friend or a therapist. Write in a poem or a journal entry. Say it out loud to yourself in the mirror when you are alone.

When we are experiencing issues with our vaginas, it can mean something is off in our most intimate energetic places. The spiritual meaning of vaginal infections can be explored by spending some time with our vaginas and listening to what they have to tell us. This may be the key to making positive, healthy changes in our lives that nourish our hearts and voices.

Next up: the spiritual meaning of incontinence. Until then, explore the spiritual meaning of pelvic floor pain.